Kyle Busch’s widow shared a hauntingly specific fear about losing her husband just months before the NASCAR star’s sudden death.
In a resurfaced November episode of her Certified Oversharer podcast, Samantha Busch revealed the deeply emotional conversation she once had with her husband about the frozen embryos they still had stored after years of fertility struggles.
“Here’s something I’ve never told anybody,” Samantha, 39, admitted while speaking with guest Ashley George. “A lot of people ask me what we have done with our embryos because we still have some. I can’t part with them. We are paying to freeze them.”
The couple—who endured multiple miscarriages before welcoming son Brexton, 11, and daughter Lennix, 4, through IVF—have long been open about their fertility journey and advocacy work through their Bundle of Joy Fund, which helps families afford costly fertility treatments.
Samantha explained she felt emotionally tethered to the embryos and unable to let them go.
“They’re going to have to come with me,” she joked. “I don’t know what else to do at this point because I love them so much and can’t make a decision.”
Kyle, however, felt that their family was complete, she said. But Samantha confessed her attachment stemmed from a darker fear she couldn’t shake.
“I told him the most morbid story the other day,” she said on the podcast. “I was like, ‘What if you passed? I would have to have another kid to be connected to you and name that child after you.’”
The remark stunned the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
“He was like, ‘What is wrong with you?’” Samantha recalled with a laugh. “And I was like, ‘These are the things I think about, Kyle.’”
Now, just six months later, Busch’s family announced on Thursday that the racing icon died at 41 after complications from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.
Busch first began feeling ill after competing at Watkins Glen International on May 10. After his race, Busch was heard over team radio asking for a doctor to meet him at the bus for medical treatment. The television broadcast also noted he had been battling a sinus illness that worsened amid the track’s steep elevation changes and punishing G-forces.
Busch’s hospitalization came as he was expected to compete in a packed roster of May races, including the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
On Sunday, NASCAR held an emotional remembrance ceremony honoring the driver at the very track where he had been scheduled to race.
Samantha, the couple’s children, Busch’s parents, and NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch, 47, gathered on the infield as NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell delivered a touching tribute.
“This was Kyle Busch’s home. Every racetrack was Kyle Busch’s home,” O’Donnell, 57, said.
“Samantha, I want you to know that this sport stands with you, and that you and your children are NASCAR family forever.”
He added that the Busch family had the support of the entire racing community as they navigated the devastating loss.
Richard Childress Racing also announced Friday that Busch’s iconic No. 8 car would be semi-retired following his death. According to NASCAR, the number will be reserved for Brexton Busch to use in the future, “when he is ready.” The team is expected to temporarily switch to No. 33 moving forward.
